Another shot at MDX-010

The doctors said that there is something available that will allow Aimee to take the MDX-010 outside of the clinical trial. (They call it the Compassionate Use Protocol) She'll have to go down to New Haven, CT every 3 weeks-- and there's no possibility of placebo this time. I think they should compassionately use their protocols all the time :)

Should start soon. We'll let you know.

Plus, a few from the zoo...

Our latest outing.

The Before Thanksgiving Update

A few weeks ago we celebrated my sister Betty, aka Gail, aka Mrs. O'Donnell's wedding to Chris. She was gorgeous. And we had an absolutely fantastic time. Here are a few pictures from that evening. Of especial note are the one of Xavier doing a John Travolta stroll on the dance floor (also, note his cousin getting a time out in the corner!) and the one of Tilly after we got home, looking hung-over, trying on my shoes. The last photo is of all the Alcarez cousins--our two are the ones who insisted on wearing their halloween costumes in the picture.

Rotten Luck!

Well, turns out that Aimee is not eligible for the MDX-010 trial. While she did pass the initial blood screen, there was a second blood screen that she didn't pass. And Gee Whiz-- there was only a 5% chance that she wouldn't pass it. (She had the compound A-02 in her blood, but not A-02-01 ....) Rotten luck.

So. So, we meet next week to discuss other options. The top of the list seems to be the trip to NCI in Washington DC. We'll be looking at other clinical trial options in the meantime.

On the bright side, at least she won't have the possibility of getting sugar water infusions for the next 9 weeks. :)

It's a minor setback, but maybe God wanted to save us some time by avoiding another ineffective treatment. :)

-Will

Clinical trials

Well, it looks like Aimee will be entering the MDX-010 clinical trial. She passed the initial blood screen, she signed the consent form, and treatment will probably begin in 3 weeks.

Here's a quick rundown: Everything will be done here in Boston. Aimee will go in a total of 5 times over a 9 week period to receive an infusion of MDX-010 and an injection of a peptide vaccine. (There is a 20% chance that all she'll receive is a placebo.) She'll be scanned throughout to measure her progress. Keep your fingers crossed-- hopefully this will be the drug that does it.

Halloween 2007

We had a very successful night last night--these kids are finally starting to pull their own weight in contributing to the family candy supply.